List of agencies helping quake/tsunami victims

This list comes from the AP:

Action Against Hunger
247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201
New York, NY 10018
212-967-7800
http://www.aah-usa.org
American Jewish World Service
45 West 36th Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10018
800-889-7146
http://www.ajws.org
ADRA International
9-11 Fund
12501 Old Columbus Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
800-424-2372
http://www.adra.org
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC Crisis Fund)
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-241-7000
http://www.afsc.org
Catholic Relief Services
PO Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
800-736-3467
http://www.catholicrelief.org
Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
http://www.directrelief.org
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres
PO Box 2247
New York, NY 10116-2247
888-392-0392
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org
International Medical Corps
1919 Santa Monica Boulevard Suite 300
Santa Monica CA 90404
800-481-4462
http://www.imcworldwide.org
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
PO Box 372
CH-1211 Geneva 19
Switzerland
41-22-730-4222
http://www.ifrc.org/
International Orthodox Christian Charities
Middle East Crisis Response
PO Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
http://www.iocc.org
Lutheran World Relief
PO Box 17061
Baltimore MD 21298-9832
800-597-5972
http://www.lwr.org
MAP International
2200 Glynco Parkway
PO Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 3121-5000
800-225-8550
http://www.map.org
Mercy Corps
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
800-852-2100
http://www.mercycorps.org
Northwest Medical Teams
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207-0010
503-624-1000
http://www.nwmedicalteams.org
Operation USA
8320 Melrose Avenue, Ste. 200
Los Angles, CA 90069
800-678-7255
http://www.opusa.org
Oxfam America
https://secure.ga3.org/02/oxfamamerica?extra1=asian_quake_2004
Relief International
11965 Venice Blvd.¥405
Los Angeles, CA 90066
800-572-3332
http://www.ri.org
Save the Children
Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.org
US Fund for UNICEF
333 East 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-FOR-KIDS
http://www.unicefusa.or
World Concern
19303 Fremont Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98133
800-755-5022
http://www.worldconcern.org
World Relief
7 E. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
443-451-1900
http://www.wr.org
World Vision
PO Box 70288
Tacoma, Washington 98481-0288
888-56-CHILD
http://www.worldvision.org

so sad :cry:

...and most relief efforts lose steam after an initial spurt of enthusiasm. We need to work toward setting up something organized and long-lasting, to keep support focussed where it is most needed.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

I've always thought highly of them. And my mom is a supporter of Doctors Without Borders, which is also an excellent organization. :thumbsup:

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From what I read last night at the BBC/S Asia site, Oxfam is also centrally involved in the relief effort. That article didn't give the contact info, though.

Thanks for this list. We should put it all together along with info on what individual relief groups are doing and asking for, as well as news feed sites for current updates, in one place somewhere on the home page for ready reference for a long time. The victims of this tragedy are going to need all kinds of support for a long time, and we should take steps now to put the info to support that in place.

Are you listening, moderators?
O8)

Or should I send a note about this to the admins directly?
}(

I'll see if I can find Oxfam's info and add it to the list.

I think we should have a permanent link there to all relief-related information. Threads on the HP only stay for a little while and don't contain ALL of the needed info. Need ORGANIZED info, and you have made a great start.

There are also places to contact for info within particular countries, for example. This stuff is scattered all over for now.

Have to leave for a while. Thanks again!

:)

:hi:

We need to remind ourselves, especially now during the Christmas Holidays, that there, but for the grace of God (non-denominational,non-religion specific), go I. This could just have easily happened here in the good 'ole USA.

I try to donate as much as I can afford to every week to the Salvation Army. Hopefully, some of that will go to help those poor victims.

Natural disasters are so frightening. At least those people died at the wrath of nature, not of an evil tryrant or idiotic president. I pray for them, and thank you fo giving sorces as to where we can help these poor indonesians.

I am from Indonesia, on the Java island. It's amazing how the tidal waves travelled with such great force to Sri Lanka and India and yet spared the densedly populated Java which is closer to the epicentrum than those two countries. The total death toll so far has been reported as high as 24,000 and it's counting... Indonesia has lost at least 5,000 of its citizens with thousands still missing. The authorities say they will not be surprised if the final casualties will be around 25,000 people! Thailand was in the peak of tourist season when the waves wiped cleaned the tourist shores. It has the most number of foreign casualties. The last that I heard on the regional news is that at least 6 (six) Americans in the region were among the deads. Sri Lanka has almost 13,000 casualties and India has about 5,000 so far. :(

From one earthquake zone to another- I think I can speak for many of my fellow Californios: we know how you feel and our thoughts are with you. I know several people, who by sheer luck, avoided being in the freeway collapse during the Loma Prieta earthquake in the 80s. I am broke, but I will try to send a check to DWB.

You couldn't be more spot-on, kineneb. I'm in Southern California. Our big one was in 1994. What wreckage. Horrors. Loss of life. Even so, it doesn't even begin to hold a candle to what's happened this week. We're on the Pacific "rim of fire" so all the talking heads speculating about whether it could happen here (somewhere along an American coastline) aren't just saying empty words.

As I write this, the chyron at the bottom of the screen on CNN is still fresh in my mind - 60,000 believed dead just from the disasters themselves, and perhaps at least that many more could die from disease that sets in. Just awful. Parts of the Pacific fleet were dispatched to be of assistance. Nice to know that kind of force can be used for good - for a change. So sad, though, that it takes something this horrendous.

And welcome to DU, chadk. Talk about being on the front lines.

BTW - thanks for posting the list, quaoar. A great service. Kick!

You people are just wonderful! Thanks for ALL the sympathy said in the postings under this heading.

When I mentioned the Indonesian authorities wouldn't be surprised if the total casualties locally could be around 25,000, with the discoveries of thousands more dead bodies yesterday and today, the total could well reach 100,000 directly or indirectly (e.g. from the ensuing diseases) for Indonesia alone! Now I don't know if this was exaggerated or not but looking at the local and regional news, that number for Indonesia is not impossible. Indonesia and Sri Lanka have each had over 20,000 casualties now. The FAR reaching catastrophe has managed to make suffering for the people in some east cost African nations, too, with "only" a couple of hundreds deaths so far reported.

Being an Indonesian I can only imagine the only reliable organizations for donation are the churches. I hope and pray that my and you guys' donations will physically get to these poor people that need them most, and not being brutally corrupted!

With hundreds of, or even a thousand foreign tourists still unaccounted for -- it is now confirmed that at least 8 Americans dead -- this catastrophe is actually an INTERNATIONAL disaster. I hate to see the reports that Dumbya has initially agreed to donate ONLY US$15 million for such a monumental disaster and later reluctantly increased the amount by US$20 million only after being harshly criticized internationally of being stingy!

My appreciation goes to all of you DUers and particularly to ExclamationPoint, Kineneb, SpaceCatMeetsMars, UltraDem, Calimary, and of course to quaoar who cared to start this thread. God bless you all good people!

Our Outreach Committee at church will be collecting for Church World Service on Sunday. It already has Indonesian aid sites it's using--in fact, I'm now remembering that my former pastor, Geneva Butz, taught at a seminary in Indonesia for a semester about 5 years ago--and I don't know why AP omitted the major mainstream Protestant aid organization from its list.

I just don't know who to feel more sorry for: them for their misfortune or us for ours, right?

I am originally from Thailand. Half of my family still live in the South of Thailand. It was such a nice surprise to see the outpouring of generosity and support from DUers right after the tragedy in South and Southeast Asia. You guys are magnificent. After the Nov. election, you guys provided me a warm shoulder to cry on. Nov. 3, when I could not find anybody to share my grief, I came to this board and read all your messages. That was when I knew that it was OK to cry. And I did cry my eyes out. Thank you for that. Now, y'all came through again. Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart.

I think I'm going to donate to Doctors without Borders. Just cannot donate to any even remotely religious organizations.

I'm with you on the religious charities. If I could be certain there was no litmus test to get the help and if I could be certain the help didn't come with pontification, it would be different.

Don't be afraid to donate to Drs w/o Borders. They do great work and for a very long time their services will be needed in these countries.

I'll take your advice

So they don't have to pay the credit card fees. :-)

I'll put it in the mail on the morrow.

Thanks for the feedback.

checking over the list, I had zeroed in on DWB; I'll be sending them a check

Church World Service has no religious litmus test for help.

Obviously the above groups are all in the relief effort, but I am interested in learning which will get the fastest results (for example, potable water to survivors at risk of being sickened by contaminated water). I believe Oxfam already has offices in most of these countries, and assume quite a few of the other groups are right there on the ground. But perhaps those with some insight into this could offer suggestions.

Thanks so much for posting the list and the links. I opened this forum for exactly this purpose, and there was the thread at the top.

donate to the IRC. It also has a phone number where I believe you can call and directly stipulate that your contribution be used for this disaster.

The International Federation indicates that donating thru your local Red Cross is fine. To donate thru them directly, it looks like you need to first sign up with some sort of overseas payment processor.

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

Relief Option. Saw on Olbermann that the Red Cross is given a grade of A+.

I see on the Red Cross' website that WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE have contributed $18,000,000 so far.

Let's make it a lot more friends!

:kick:

I don't know if this is the right place to post this - or if there is a right place. The following article is a bit inflammatory in its rhetoric, but I think it has a valid point: media bias. No country or politician is above reproach, but surely humanitarian efforts should be recognized. Israel has long been in the forefront of such efforts. (By the way, as far as I know, the International Red Cross allows the Red Crescent to participate in its relief efforts, but not the Red Magen David.)

If this is inappropriate, I apologize in advance.


---
Click on Mike Levine for info on him.
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 1:16 PM

J'accuse!

by  <http://www.israelnn.com/author.php?id=292> Mike Levine

Jan 09, '05 / 28 Tevet 5765

I, Mike Levine, citizen of Israel and the United States, accuse you, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Denver Post, the Atlanta Constitution, CNN, the Times of London, and thousands of other newspapers and TV networks worldwide. I accuse you of gross bias against, and naked hatred towards, the Jewish state of Israel.

For years, most of you have shown a clear bias in favor of the Arab Muslims and Palestinians, taking every opportunity to demonize Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, and the only Jewish state in the world. But in the past two weeks, you have raised your hatred to a new high, while your journalistic standards have fallen to new lows.

While coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Asia has been extensive, and your reporting of international fundraising and rescue efforts has been massive, you wrote hardly a word about the fact that Israel was one of the very first to offer substantial aid and send medical rescue missions to the stricken areas. Within hours, planeloads of well-trained rescue people and experienced trauma doctors were on their way.

Israel is one of the tiniest nations on earth, with a total population far less than many cities of the world, yet, in the first hours following the earthquake and flooding, Israel assembled hundreds of doctors and other medical personnel, many planeloads of medical supplies, tents, food, blankets, even baby diapers. While other, much larger, much richer nations, were still rubbing their eyes in disbelief, Israel was already setting up many aid stations in the worst hit areas.

Nor did you report the unbelievably hateful refusal of Sri Lanka, and Muslim states, to accept the entry of Jewish medical and rescue personnel, although they did cynically accept the supplies and equipment sent by Israel.

I accuse world media of gross incompetence. I accuse world media of abrogation of journalistic integrity. I accuse world media of sheer and transparent prejudice against Israel and the Jews. I accuse world media of pandering to the Islamic nations' hatred of anything Jewish.

Only a few publications outside Israel mentioned the major contribution being made by Israel. Only a very few pointed out that Israel's per capita contribution of manpower, equipment, supplies and money was the highest in the world.

Only a few bothered to mention that only a tiny trickle of aid was offered by all of the world's Muslim nations, nations sitting on half of the world's oil reserves, nations raking in billions of dollars daily, nations whose elite live lives of such opulence as can hardly be imagined by most of the world's masses.

Saudi Arabia sat unmoved for a week while the world scrambled to raise funds and send massive aid, then magnanimously pledged a measly ten million dollars, a pledge which has yet to be paid. Imagine, this from a brother Muslim state, a state that provided families of Palestinian suicide bombers with $150,000,000 (one hundred fifty million dollars) during the past year alone.

Kuwait, the second richest Muslim nation, pledged an equally paltry ten million.

You people in Chicago - did you read any of this in your newspapers? How about you good people in Dallas? Paris? Berlin? Melbourne? Did any of you read or hear of Israel's incredible generosity of spirit, manpower and money? Did you read one editorial praising the fact that the Jewish state unselfishly came to the immediate aid of Muslim nations that have long called for the destruction of Israel?

No, chances are you did not. Maybe you ought to let your editors know how you feel about their treatment of Israel and the Jewish people. Because if you don't speak out, they will continue to believe no one gives a damn about Israel, they will continue speaking of Israel only in negative terms, writing only about how the Jewish state mistreats the Palestinians and their terrorists.

Join me when I say to world media loud and clear: J'accuse!

 

And has opened an additional account to which donations may also be made.

Funds can be sent through local congregations within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Or they may be mailed to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

(Individual checks should have in the memo section "Disaster Relief DR000167")

I mention this since some folks may be able to give most expediently through their own religious organizations. I'm sure many others are involved, but since this is my denomination it's the one I know of offhand. Maybe others can post additional denominational, religious or benevolence organizations that will be giving assistance.

to religious affiliation or lack thereof, and they do not proselytize in the course of their relief efforts.

I remember that from back in grad school when we tried to organize an Oxfam fast, and the Campus Crusade people refused to take part unless they could send their donations to a "Christian" organization, one that included missionary work with its relief efforts.

They rejected Catholic Charities, Lutheran World Relief, and the other mainstream agencies because these groups do not evangelize the people they help.

I think World Vision does, though.

But by all means, donate to whichever agency you choose.

And I'm saddened and angered by the parachurch and right-wing religious groups that feel they have to stuff their dogma down people's throats before they can offer help. Being a part of a mainline denomination has its occasional irritations, but at times like this I really feel good about it.

This Sunday my church will take up a special offering, so it will be the easiest method for me to make a donation; and I know that little or no amount of it will go for "administrative costs." That's an important piece for me--that whatever/whomever I donate to gets the money where it's needed and not in some executive's pocket.

Of course, by no means am I suggesting any of these previously mentioned organizations do that. As I know them, they are all reputable and reliable.

So, where was I going with this?

Oh yeah . . . folks have a lot of agencies they can choose from--and I think that's good. The diversity means that several needs are handled at once, put in different areas, etc.

My aunt recently went on a mission trip to Thailand where they helped in various medical, infrastructure, and education projects, and they did not require that the recipients be Christian nor did they do any preaching. One girl specifically asked them to tell her about Jesus, and they did, but beyond that, they were simply there to help improve people's lives in the here and now. Most international religious charities are OK. And this is coming from an agnostic.

:cry:

:hug:

STATEMENT?

Prove the pudding of compassion. Keep a record!!!

:cry:

Help people.

Please.

hopefully they are alright. I think Koh Samui is on the other side of thailand and didn't get hit...

Unfortunately tons of people from my Univ. are on holiday in phuket

:(

My wife is from the island country of the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. What you may not know (because it's a small country) is that Seychelles was one of the countries that was severely damaged by the tsunami (though not on the scale of what happened in Sri Lanka).

I've thrown my support (and money) to AmeriCares. AmeriCares is a good, efficient, honest organization, and their priority right now is to get anti-dehydration kits and water-purification kits (which are desperately needed to keep people from dying of medical problems cause by the lack of clean water--more important at this point even than food is), as well as other medicinal aid. They are real professionals who know how to get the job done.

If you'd like to help them, their website is www.americares.org (you can contribute online).

Could someone add AmeriCares to the "master list" at the top of the thread? They really are a good organization.

Thank you,
Redstone

PS: My wife's family is all OK.

The local FOX channel news interviewed a World Vision rep then gave number to call to donate. I know WV does much good in the world, but any group recommended by FOX news is suspect to me. I will stick with secular aid agencies.

I saw a posting on DailyKos that World Vision is a right wing organization, and that only 15% of the donations to them actually end up in the field helping people. Possibly some percentage is used for evangelism.

I gave to doctors without borders.

it seems to me that this is a time of giving but also
a true time to take time to help the mourning.

WE ARE ONE WORLD.

bless all.

M

The Relief Aid list has been updated on LightUpTheDarkness.org -
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=168

I want all of you to know that the Episcopal Relief Fund is a good way to donate to help. We are a welcoming, non-judgmental Christian church.

http://www.er-d.org/

Someone from DU emailed me the info on the Episcopal Relief Fund and I added it to the undated list on LightUpTheDarkness - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=168

It's heartening to see so many agencies jumping in to help.

....kerrygoddess for adding our Fund to your list. As a result, I visited your site. Great site and keep up the good work.

Every time I check the news the number of dead has doubled. A beautiful 30 year old Indonesian woman was on the news yesterday and she had lost her husband and her four children. Her eight month old baby was swept by the water from her arms. Her grief was overwhelming and I felt so helpless.

Janetle

I'm glad you enjoyed LightUpTheDarkness, and hope you'll visit again. The relief fund list was a small way of doing something to help in the horrific tragedy. It's mind-boggling to see the numbers of the dead growing as the hours pass by. So much loss and devastation and knowing that they could have prevented some of it with the alert system is maddening at best.

I would be absolutely stunned if the Episcopals use this as an opportunity to evangelize. In fact if I heard of such an instance, I would not hesitate to withdraw my pledge to my church. Here is the update from Episcpoal world relief:

With numbers of dead and homeless rising across southern Asia in the wake of December 26th's unprecedented Indian Ocean tsunami, Episcopal Relief and Development has begun emergency response efforts and welcomes financial contributions to aid these initiatives.
ERD representatives request that contributions be directed to Episcopal Relief and Development, South Asia Relief Fund, P.O. Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101. Contributions may also be forwarded on-line ( http://www.er-d.org/ ).

Devastation is reported worst in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India among other southern Asian countries.

The retired Anglican bishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Fernando, was the first to reach the Episcopal News Service with comment by electronic mail December 27: "We have received many inquiries about the situation in Sri Lanka after the disaster. It has been a very heavy disaster. Most of those affected are the poor who live in little shanties by the sea. They have lost everything.

"Our churches are being used as temporary camps and the government, and NGO's (non-governmental organizations) are beginning to function.

"Since we live near a lake only a few miles from the sea, we had a few anxious moments as I thought the water level of the lake would rise. But there has been no change at all."

Fernando -- who is well known for building Buddhist-Christian-Muslim dialogue and has served the Anglican Communion as head of its NIFCON effort to build interfaith dialogue with the use of technology among other strategies -- said that various relief agencies, including OXFAM and the World Council of Churches, had begun helping Sri Lanka.

"Many thanks for your concern for us," he added. "We are hoping there will be no after shocks, The people are very frightened."

Meanwhile, from the Church of South India, Bishop Thomas Samuel of the Diocese of Madhya Kerala, sent the following message to Oregon Bishop Johncy Itty:

"It is with deep distress and immense grief that I share with you the terrible tragedy that has hit the coastal regions of Tamil-Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Sri Lanka. The magnitude of the disaster is difficult to comprehend mainly becasuse of its unexpected nature and also because of lack of exact statistics. The figure of the death toll in South India has gone up to 15,000. This tragedy has suddenly made us not only challenged into rising up to the situation but also made us realize our insufficiency and vulnerability.

"The worst-hit Alappuzha and Kollam are in Madhya Kerala Diocese where thousands were rendered homeless and many were reported missing. Many in these areas were caught and crushed and washed away before they even knew what was happening. There is no electricity and borewells put for drinking water supply were also destroyed. This is the worst national disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas. We could have epidemics within a few days unless we get health systems up and runing.

"Our diocesan pastors and leaders have rushed to the disaster areas with food, clothing, medicine etc. Our focus is on supply of drinking water, food and clothing. Sanitation is a big problem. Many camps have been set up to accommodate thousands of homeless people.

"We would greatly appreciate if you would kindly extend your generous support to the relief work. Please do remember us in your prayers."

Also in Tamil-Nadu, Bishop V. Devasahayam of India's Diocese of Chennai, a port center, concurred in a phone interview reported to ERD that the worst damage was in Tamil-Nadu, south of Madras. He said among the hardest hit were fisher-folk, many of whom were fishing at the time of the tsunami. Some 2,000 power boats and 20,000 catamarans were lost, he said. Many of the islands have been washed out. The bishop said his diocese has set up relief stations in many of the churches. He said the local cathedral complex survived as did many of the churches, including St. Mary's by-the-Sea.

http://gc2003.episcopalchurch.org/ens/index.htm

I just mailed a check today.

but its so hard to decide who to send money to as I want to see the money actually get to the people who need it and not be used up in administration costs. Nor do I want it to go to religion.

I remember after 9-11 how the Red Cross sat on millions of dollars instead of distributing it to the people who needed it.

I wound up donating to the 9/11 tragedy thru the robinhood foundation, I would recomend doctors without borders, very, apolitical.

Because they are apolitical, they are sometimes the only organization left in a devastated country when others have pulled out. They are already in Indonesia, the first in that area, according to their web page.

They won the Nobel prize in 1999 because they are so respected worldwide, so it is a good, trustworthy organization.

Web page is:

http://www.msf.org/

MSF is the abbreviation for the French name, they are based in France and were started by French doctors.

I went to their website and it looks good--78% of donations go directly to relief work. See original post above for link.

one of my friends has family in Sri Lanka that were affected. I'm waiting to see if I can get something directly to them.

I am not particularly religious but my thoughts (and yes my prayers) are with all of those effected by this tragedy. I am so sorry for all of the lost people.

They were in Afghanistan when the Russians were there, they are now there when the US is there, very apolitical group.

I'm going to make them one of my regular charities

Please also consider donating as well to the Int'l Red Cross Darfur Fund.
<http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sudan!Open>

More than 100,000 people have died, and they are still dying at the rate of 10,000/month, a large percentage of them children. The ongoing refugee crisis is in desperate need of funds to keep nearly a million people from starving to death.

It's not as jolting as 50,000 being wiped out in one day, but at least they didn't die at the hands of wantonly malevolent, genocidal marauders.

I donate regularly to the Darfur Fund

Bush just cut off funds to feed the hungry from the Catholic Relief people. They said it would cause millions of people to starve. Fuckin Bush. I hate that dimwit.

I believe some of these have missionary/religious leanings so we wanted to be careful about that. Though at this point, any little bit of aid anywhere would help a great deal.

I have very little money I can donate right now, but I have lots of extra blankets, canned goods, etc. Are any organizations asking for this type of thing?

This is such a tragedy. It makes America's problems seem quite trivial by comparison. It further convinces me that it is up to the wealthiest of us, average Americans, to help raise up our fellow man. They did nothing to deserve this destruction.

that rates the Charity's and gives more detailed information on them.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

They also set up a web page for Tsunami
http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/international/earthquake/tsunami122604.aspx?source=CN&cmpgn=CRS

These people are already mobilized; and will make a great impact at this very instant! ...when lives can be saved from the second wave of death -- water-born illnesses.

Cash donations are the best medicine right now.

Reposting Oxfam's donation page -- https://secure.ga3.org/02/oxfamamerica?extra1=asian_quake_2004

Great work quaoar :)

Ok...I have given $20.00 to each orginization listed on the pinned thread...here is our chance to prove to all the idiots out there that have used DU to try and show that we don't care...let us join together...users and admin...and raise money and other useful items that we can send to those overseas who have been hit by this event...how about we here at DU do this...set up a collection point to send clothing and food to those countries effected...

I was saving my old clothing to donate to the veterans home...but I think that all the donations that they get...some of my old clothing will do much better in those countries that have been effected by this act of mother nature...

I hope that all of us can pull together and show that we will not wait for the Bush misadministration to help...let's show the world that we...the American people that we care and we can help....us liberals/democrats...just maybe we at DU can donate enough clothing and goodwill to those who have lost so much that those who think bad of us here at DU will have to eat their words...let's give what we can...

So how about it admin...what are the chances that DU can set up some kind of donation central type thing...food, clothing, money etc....to help those who really need it the most right now...let's show the right wingers up by donating as much as we can...

just a thought...

...because the alleviation of suffering should not be politicized.

Let's simply do good because it's the right thing to do.

I agree it should not be politicized. Our actions, and those of the Bush administration, speak loudly on their own.

...I'm glad that you recognizes that certain things stand on their own.

Political hay can always be made during any election. ;)

.

They want cash to purchase items in the local areas. It's more cost effective and efficient.

like I said it was just a thought...

Christian Children's Fund
2821 Emerywood Parkway
Richmond, VA 23294-3725
1-800-776-6767
http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/donate/appeal.aspx

Bless all who donated to any relief agency to help the tsunami victims.

:hi: Please donate everyone!


:kick:

Tsunami Relief Effort Update
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=175

List of organizations and agencies to donate to: http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/tsunamirelief.htm

relieve the sorrow. The best we can hope for is to stem the residual disaster. Bless them all.

that will take a long time but for now we can help relieve their physical suffering. Every little bit helps! :)

At you can donate about 1/2 cent per day to Mercy Corps, at no cost to you. It's not much of course, but it does add up. (another 1/2 cent or so goes to America's Second Harvest, a domestic hunger relief agency)

Because the Freepers said it was wrong and to only donate to Christian organizations makes me want to donate to them even more!

You can donate unused airline mileage from various airlines including American, United, Northwest and Delta that will go directly to the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF and others. I've listed them at http://firedoglake.blogspot.com, and if you know of of any I haven't listed please let me know and I will include them.

:hi:

they pass on donations to the designated charity. It was fast quick and easy. I read that the emergency responce agencies as listed already have boots on the ground there. I chose Catholic Relief since I saw a blurb about them being on the scene.

http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/international/earthquake/tsunami122604.aspx?source=CN&cmpgn=CRS

Has sent peole with tons of stuff into Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Money to them is good. People are now dieing of injuries sustained during tsunami.

They still need money for their primary relief fund, but if you are looking to donate $$ particularly for the tsunami relief effort, they say they have plenty. Just FYI.

I've been a supporter of CoffeeKids for several years - it's a group that helps children of coffee workers in impoverished areas (thanks to our American multinationals, coffee workers now are basically serf labor). They build schools, provide textbooks, educational material and sporting goods. This is a very reputable group, and they get a tremendous amount of support from people in the specialty coffee industry who have a conscience.

They've started up a relief fund for Sumatra, which is an important coffee producing island. They have experience there and people on the ground, and 100% of the funds for their Sumatra Relief will be spent on helping children there who have been effected by the tsunami. If you can give them ten or twenty bucks, it would go a long way.

http://www.coffeekids.org/donate/index.htm?donate=sumatra

www.christianaid.org.uk

or www.christianaid.org in the US

once I can afford more. DWD is very up front with where they are at with donations, and that gives me more confidence in them. And I already had a great deal.

Mercy Corps just has a great rep, and it does a great deal with the resources it has.

One Love by Bob Marley

One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One love)
Hear the children crying (One heart)
Sayin', "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."
Sayin', "Let's get together and feel all right."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One love)
There is one question I'd really love to ask (One heart)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
Believe me

One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One love)
So shall it be in the end (One heart)
Alright, "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."
"Let's get together and feel all right."
One more thing

Let's get together to fight this Holy Armageddon (One love)
So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One song)
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation

Sayin', "One love, one heart
Let's get together and feel all right."
I'm pleading to mankind (One love)
Oh, Lord (One heart) Whoa.

"Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."
Let's get together and feel all right.
(Repeat)

An acquaintance of mine is going to be flying in humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka for the next 2 months for an organization but I can't remember the name of the organization, only that it is a 3 word name and peace is the middle word...............

Nonviolent Peaceforce.

I happened to be reading something on a progressive mailing list archive for my own area, and ran across a an article about the tsunami at the CBC, read it, saw the mention of this organization in the article, and remembered your question:

http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/welcome.asp

I'd never heard of it before. From here:
http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/news/Tsunami3.asp

Our primary focus remains nonviolent peacekeeping. We will not lose sight of the peace and human rights dimensions of this tragedy. Our teams have lived and worked in conflicted areas for more than a year. In Mutur and Valaichchenai, they are the only international organizations living and working there.

Thus, they are now in a unique position to identify and advocate aid to unserved areas. They also are implementing a "Do No Harm" approach that emphasizes depoliticization of aid distribution, Sri Lankan control of the relief and rebuilding process and local capacity building. They are monitoring and making regular reports on instances of cooperation as well as conflict.

We were overwhelmed by your generous response to my last letter. On Tuesday we wired $99,200 USD directly to Sarvodaya for their grass roots relief work. Amid the catastrophe, Sarvodaya founder and president Ari Ariyaratne sees possibilities, "This is a very great opportunity we have where both sides should come together first for relief, then for rehabilitation, which can be followed by reconciliation."

and here: http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/TsunamiHelp.asp

Please consider making a donation to Oxfam, Sarvodaya, or Nonviolence International with whom we work and who are doing direct relief and humanitarian work. We know them to be strong and effective organizations on the ground in Sri Lanka.

Sarvodaya is a Sri Lankan organization with the largest community network in the country.

To donate to Sarvodaya online by credit card you may donate through the Nonviolent Peaceforce:
http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/help/donatetosarvodaya.asp

Go directly to the Sarvodaya donation page. 100% of the money we collect at this site will go to Sarvodaya.

I also wondered about CCODP -- Development and Peace. It's RC, but not evangelical; I worked with the local CCODP types in various solidarity efforts years ago. Of course, it's also Canadian ... ah, it's part of the global RC development/aid network: http://www.devp.org/testA/mission.htm

Regarding questions raised in this thread about relief agencies with religious affiliations: many other religious organizations have reputable and trustworthy international development/aid arms -- Mennonites, Quakers, mainstream protestant churches. I'm a religion-hating atheist, but have little problem with their work.

World Vision is a different animal, and a complex one at that. It is evangelical, but not easily classified as right-wing. Nonetheless, I don't see any good reason for giving it money when its activities, unlike those of many overtly church-sponsored agencies, specifically include Christian evangelization.

for those of you who have PayPal accounts, Doctors without Borders also accepts direct payments from PayPal. Some people like me currently don't have money in a regular bank account, but I was still able to donate a modest amount through my paypal account.

1777 T Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-7125
Phone: (202) 238-9088
Toll free: (800) 837-3792
Fax: (202) 238-9003
Email: aha@americanhumanist.org

https://www.americanhumanist.org/secure/disaster.html

Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 11:04:57 -0800 (PST) <02:04:57 PM EST>
From: web@americanhumanist.org
To: aha@npogroups.org
Subject: AHA Action Alert Humanists Support Tsunami Disaster Relief Efforts


Humanists Support Tsunami Disaster Relief Efforts

https://www.americanhumanist.org/secure/disaster.html

We at the American Humanist Association have received an outpouring of
interest from our membership to provide a method for individuals to give as Humanists to the tsunami relief efforts. In response to this call for action, we have partnered with the Atheist Centre in India through our international body, the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

The Atheist Centre manages Arthik Samata Mandal, an established disaster relief organization that has been active since 1977. This organization already has the required Indian Government approval to receive overseas aid funds, which it will use to address both short-term rehabilitation and long-term reconstruction needs of tsunami victims.

Programs are being designed in cooperation with the affected communities aimed at addressing health, food security, habitat, and livelihood needs. In the longer term, the Centre will work toward reconstruction and reduction of vulnerability.

Tens of thousands perished in the tsunami and even more are at imminent risk of disease. And the lives and livelihoods of still more have been shattered.

As Humanists concerned for the wellbeing of all, we wish to express Humanism's compassion for the survivors who have experienced such lost.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP

The American Humanist Association is making it possible for 100% of your donation to reach our overseas partners--we're absorbing all the various processing and transfer costs. If you wish to participate in this program, you can donate online through the AHA's secure website:

https://www.americanhumanist.org/secure/disaster.html
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The AHA is registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the U.S. and donations to it are fully tax deductible for U.S. tax payers.

1777 T Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-7125
Phone: (202) 238-9088
Toll free: (800) 837-3792
Fax: (202) 238-9003
Email: aha@americanhumanist.org

ARC World Headquarters
430 Oak Grove Street
Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Tel: (612) 872-7060
Fax: (612) 607-6499
Email: archq@archq.org

Their current mission is to help rebuild the fishing fleet in Thailand (my daughter's elementary school is working with this organization to raise $500 which will cover the cost of a new boat).

They are a GREAT organization!!!!

for those like myself waiting for a movement that would match your donation, in effect doubling your contribution, to be made available for public donations, one has been set up by sulekha.com, which proceeds going towards either CARE or Association for India's Development (AID)..

http://www.sulekha.com/aidtsunami/

also check out salesforce.com, which is matching donations as well for Americares, American Jewish World Service, American Red Cross, Care, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam-America, Relief International, Save The Children, and United Way
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2798

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort (SHARE) raised $22,000 in one week for victims of the Tsunami.

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 18:00:35 GMT <01:00:35 PM EST>
From: Center For Inquiry <dkoepsell@centerforinquiry.net>

Subject: Update on Tsunami Victim Relief

Update on SHARE Fund Drive to Assist Victims of Tsunami

Dear Friends,

Last week, the Center for Inquiry sent out a plea to friends
(subscribers and supporters) for whom we have e-mail addresses,
which is only about 15% of our entire list. We invited them to
contribute to tsunami victims through SHARE, the Secular
Humanist Aid and Relief Effort, an organization sponsored by the
Council for Secular Humanism. (Click here to learn more about
the fund drive -- http://ga1.org/ct/bp_Xvf110qLc/ )

We are pleased to announce that we have raised over $22,000
(100% of the funds received will be forwarded to an organization
providing direct relief to the victims). The support has been
outstanding already. Thank you!

We continue to be deeply distressed by the news coming out of
the Indian Ocean region. The area has been devastated by this
terrible tragedy. The conditions in the areas hit by the tsunami
continue to be perilous and will require a concerted effort by
many people to overcome this tragedy. So if you have not done so
already we would urge you to consider a donation. (Click here if
you would like to make a donation --
https://secure.ga3.org/05/donate_to_help_tsunami_victims/nk1_Xvf11BqMq )

To encourage Americans to provide assistance to the countries in
desperate need - the House and Senate unanimously passed a
tsunami tax relief bill on January 6th that will allow Americans
to deduct donations to tsunami relief efforts through January
31st, 2005 from their 2004 tax returns. President Bush signed
the bill into law on January 7th.

The address of SHARE is PO Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226, or you
may make your contribution to SHARE directly by clicking here --
https://secure.ga3.org/05/donate_to_help_tsunami_victims/nk1_Xvf11BqMq .We are donating the funds raised to Sarvodaya, a charity in Sri Lanka, upon the recommendation of Sir Arthur C. Clarke who resides in that country. If you wish to make contributions to other countries, SHARE will designate these funds to CARE or Oxfam. All funds channeled through SHARE are tax-exempt in the United States.

We wish to thank you again for partnering with the Center for
Inquiry to make this fund drive successful!

Sincerely Yours,

Paul Kurtz
Chairman
--------------------------------------------------

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for
Center For Inquiry at:

http://ga1.org/center_for_inquiry/join.html?r=k1_Xvf11BqMqE

---------

There is no mention I can find of how much money Pat Robertson's "Operation Blessing" has raised so far.

However, apparently only 85% of the fundie money goes to "aid."

That 85% goes to "ministry and program," apparently lumping "ministry" into the same category as "aid." Food, water, medicine, prayer... to Pat Robertson, they're all the same thing.
http://www.ob.org/about/financial.asp

I think we are MUCH BETTER OFF donating to the "goldess atheist" relief agencies than to the "christian" ones!

Please donate to SHARE. 100% goes to aid, 0% goes to "ministry."
https://secure.ga3.org/05/donate_to_help_tsunami_victims/nk1_Xvf11BqMq

to go over there and help-not food and water. Martin talked of planning on building 600 homes for orphaned children and told of how the children there are extremely vulnerable to predators. That REALLY ticks me off! :grr: